FINANCIAL WHIZZES CAMPAIGN BY THE NUMBERS FOR DISTRICT 4 SEAT

There are no environmentalists or social activists in this Broward County Commission race. It's numbers man vs. numbers man.

Incumbent Democrat Scott Cowan calls himself "the finance commissioner," for his expertise on county bonds. Republican challenger Walter Samuelson, an accountant and political novice, says he is qualified because he is "trained in numbers."

The numbers do not look friendly for Samuelson in west Broward's District 4:

-- Cowan has been a county commissioner for 12 years, the second longest term on the commission.

-- Samuelson has no experience in public office or civic associations. He has never attended a County Commission meeting or voted in a Broward local election.

-- As of Oct. 21, Cowan had raised $309,855 from a long list of special interests. Bond brokers, lawyers, land developers, garbage firms, transportation firms and maritime firms all gave in $500 hunks. Many of these firms do business with the county.

Samuelson attacks Cowan for being too closely tied to companies that do business with the county.

-- As of Oct. 21, Samuelson had raised just $12,039, including $5,000 from his own pocket.

Yet Samuelson, 36, said he has one number on his side: $2 million, the price the County Commission paid to four political pals for an office building appraised as low as $900,000. The commission had not seen the low appraisal.

That highly criticized deal in May is the main weapon of Samuelson's shoestring campaign. It inspired him to run against Cowan in the first place.

"I didn't want Scott to get off scot-free," Samuelson said. "They think as voters that we don't care. Well, we do care. A lot of people are mad about that building. We need some new blood."

Samuelson is portraying Cowan as a big spender and big taxer, while claiming he will "never raise taxes" and will cut Broward's $1.4 billion budget every year.

The office building at 2995 N. Dixie Highway in Oakland Park had been assessed for tax purposes at $1.3 million. Samuelson said he could have accepted paying somewhat more, but the county's price was "a gift" to the building's four owners. He said the deal shows how the County Commission - and Cowan as its behind-the-scenes leader - does business.

"He's a very arrogant person," Samuelson said.

Cowan, 48, conceded that the building deal was not handled well. But he said the price was not that far off and was not a gift. The building was worth the purchase price because the county wanted to be an anchor in a sagging commercial area.

"We could have done a better job. We probably could have gotten a better price," Cowan said. "I think we learned from that. We have instituted better controls."

Cowan, a former mayor of Davie, said he brings 16 years of government experience and financial acumen to the job. He claimed credit for Broward's fiscal strength, which has improved.

Wall Street over the past six years has raised Broward's bond rating from A to AA (the top rating is AAA).

The higher rating means the companies that issue the county's bonds and the investors who buy them consider the county a lower risk, and so the county can borrow money at lower interest rates and save money.

Cowan has assumed the role as the commission's bond, or debt, overseer. In that role, he said he helped cut $90 million from county debt by refinancing old bonds at lower rates. In several cases, the county resisted the temptation to refinance too early and waited until rates fell even lower, he said.

"I'm not the environmental commissioner or the social service commissioner or the transportation commissioner. But I am the finance commissioner," Cowan said. "There have been 12 bond issues under me. There has never been a scintilla of taint on any of them."

The strong finances allow the county to afford better parks, libraries and other services, Cowan said.

Samuelson counters that all the borrowing has lined the pockets of Cowan's bond business friends - and contributors - and swelled the county's debt.

However, when inflation is figured, the cost per resident of repaying county bonds is about the same now as a decade ago.

Samuelson said Cowan is so closely tied to the companies, investors and businesses that make money from the county that he has lost touch with the public good.

"Our County Commission is controlled by the special interests," Samuelson said.

Cowan does have close links to companies that do business with the county, although there are no charges that he has broken ethics laws or otherwise acted improperly.

Cowan has pushed for the county to take bids from companies that want to compete with the Broward Sheriff's Office to run county jails. So far the commission has refused.

Cowan's campaign manager, Sam Fields, is the lobbyist for the firm pushing hardest to bid on a job to run the county's jails.

Samuelson said he thinks it's a bad idea to shift jail management from the Sheriff's Office to a private firm.

"We're going to screw around with the jail system and put $6-an-hour workers in charge of hardened criminals?" Samuelson said.

Cowan said bidding might save millions a year.

Among Cowan's campaign contributors are numerous bond brokers, some of whom have handled county bonds.

Cowan contended he remains independent of them. He said his large campaign fund protects him from becoming beholden to anyone.

Cowan has built a record as strongly pro-business and pro-development, making enemies among environmentalists along the way.

Samuelson said he has a similar philosophy. A self-employed accountant, he makes a living doing taxes of retirees and small businesses. He also sells investments and insurance part-time.

Since moving to Broward in 1980, he has never run for office and never been active in a civic group.

He has never voted in a local government race in Broward. He said he was not interested at the time, and now regrets the decision.

Yet despite his lack of experience, Samuelson said his financial background qualifies him for the job.

Samuelson did miss one thing: the $450,000 house he bought in March is a mile outside the commission district. The law requires county commissioners to live in the district the day they take office, Nov. 22.

Samuelson said he will sell his house and move his family into the district if elected.

Samuelson, facing Cowan's strong political machinery, pegs his hopes on a big turnout of GOP voters for the governor's race.

"If I win, it's going to be because Jeb Bush got out the vote," Samuelson said.